High School Students Kicked Off Football Team for Going to Phillies Parade

A high school football coach in suburban Philadelphia gave nine of his players the boot after they defied his orders not to skip school by attending the Phillies championship parade last Friday. Not surprisingly, the decision has generated a lot of negative attention, especially when you consider attendance at all public high schools in Philly was down 20 percent the day of the parade.

What's the harm in letting the kids have a little fun, right? Surely the coach is on an unfortunate power trip ... right?

Before you make a knee-jerk reaction, consider this: the kids were forced to sit out Friday's game due to the local high school association rules, which presumably states a student is ineligible to participate in an event if he didn't attend school that day -- a common rule that a lot of high schools enforce.

Phillies Parade Photos

Ruben Amaro Jr. acknowledges the crowd during the Philadelphia Phillies World Series victory celebration at the ballpark in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in this October 31, 2008 file photo. The Phillies plan to announce Amaro Jr. to succeed Pat Gillick as Phillies general manager at a news conference November 3, 2008. REUTERS/Tim Shaffer/Files (UNITED STATES)

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Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cole Hamles, the World Series MVP, addresses the fans during the baseball teams' celebration of their World Series Championship, Friday, Oct. 31, 2008, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 31: Philadelphia Phillies Chase Utley arrives at a victory rally at Citizens Bank Park October 31, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win their first World Series in 28 years. (Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Chase Utley

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 31: Philadelphia Phillies Pat Burrell and his dog Elvis arrive at a victory rally at Citizens Bank Park October 31, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win their first World Series in 28 years. (Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Pat Burrell

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 31: Philadelphia Phillies Shane Victorino arrives at a victory rally at Citizens Bank Park October 31, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win their first World Series in 28 years. (Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Shane Victorino

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 31: Philadelphia Phillies Jamie Moyer (L) and Brett Myers (R) arrive at a victory rally at Citizens Bank Park October 31, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win their first World Series in 28 years. (Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brett Myers;Jamie Moyer

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 31: The Phillie Phanatic celebrates at a victory rally at Citizens Bank Park October 31, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win their first World Series in 28 years. (Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty Images)

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 31: Fans celebrate at a victory rally at Citizens Bank Park October 31, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win their first World Series in 28 years. (Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty Images)

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 31: Philadelphia Phillies Cole Hamels speaks at a victory rally at Citizens Bank Park October 31, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Tampa Bay Rays to win their first World Series in 28 years. (Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Cole Hamels

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So by skipping school to attend the parade in the morning, the students knew they were leaving their teammates short-handed later that night. And it's that lack of loyalty to the team that the coach saw fit to punish by not letting them play in the final two games.

"We sat down all of the players beforehand and told them, in no uncertain terms, that they needed to honor their commitment to the team," [coach Tom] Butts said. "That commitment started way back in January, with off-season conditioning."

Sure, it's unfortunate, but in my eyes it's also completely reasonable. Team sports require a commitment, and yes, sometimes sacrifice, from everybody. If everyone's not on board to play by the same rules, it just doesn't work. Kudos to the coach for making the extremely unpopular, yet 100 percent correct, decision.